Neocons Won’t Accept that Iraq was a Massive Blunder

Daniel Larison writes at The American Conservative that, despite the overwhelming evidence that it has been a debacle, neocons will not admit that Iraq was a massive blunder. With all the reasons Americans initially supported the war debunked (think weapons of mass destruction) and no reasonable expectation of any outcome beneficial to the United States forthcoming, it’s hard to imagine what the neocons are holding on to.

The motivation behind the invasion was an irrational fear of a foreign threat that was wildly exaggerated in the minds of the war’s supporters. The war was the product of panicked overreaction, dishonest claims, and shoddy reasoning. Above all, it was the product of having enormous military strength and no compunctions against using it against a much weaker country. Continuing to insist on the supposedly high-minded reasons for launching an illegal war almost fifteen years after the fact shows that many hawkish supporters of the Iraq war still won’t accept that the war was a massive blunder and terrible crime.